Attack on the Gnome Stronghold
On Moevyng the 17th-18th, of the year 193, the Gnome Stronghold was attacked by a relatively unknown force that seemed to be made up as much of undead warriors as it did the corrupted living. While gnomes rushed to save the Grand Sapling, the forces under an ominous, dark-clothed lych attacked the southeast of the Stronghold, intent on wiping out whatever trace of gnomes they could find. Though the lych was unsuccessful at calling up an army within the Stronghold, the battle rages on. Forces Gnome Faction Surprised by the pouring out of Malakar's undead army from the Arandar Mountains to the southwest, the gnomes rushed to defend themselves on the impending attack. Having spotted the army during their approach, gnomish military and the Gnome Queen rushed to develop a strategy for defending the Gnome Stronghold and its surrounding gnomish settlements, which eventually resulted in the following plan: *To evacuate as much of the population to the Ent Grove, a forest thick on the edges and more dispersed within, and the most easily defendable area, under the protection of available gnomish military *To surround Ent Grove with the available 18,000 gnomish soldiers *To hinder the movement of the undead army with the slow retreat of 2,000 gnomes (about one tenth of the available forces), including retaliation to slow progress with body pile-up *To defend the Grand Sapling with an elite force of 100 gnomes lead by General Wigglegump *To send 15 gnomish soldiers via gnomecopter, terrorbird, and gnome glider to Fort Golgotha in Kandarin to request assistance *To request the Guild of Rune, with 5 gnomes via gnome glider, for assistance in protecting the Grand Sapling *To allow visiting dragonrider free reign to help in defense of the gnomish lands Approved by the Gnome Queen and some of the present military commanders, the plan was put into action immediately. Visitors to the Gnome Empire were included in the rush to Ent Grove, which provided enough space for the entire population, albeit being rather cramped. The plan was critisized by Colonel Sliboforp for obvious points of weakness: *With the entire gnomeish population concentrated in one space, defeat would most likely result in the erasure of their people. In response, Wigglewump recognized the ease of defending one area instead of several, as well as the impenetrability of both the massive gnomish military and the thick tree-walls of Ent Grove. Additionally, not the entire race would cease to exist: there were still gnomes residing in the southern portion of the Gnome Empire, as well as in Kandarin. *Asking the Guild of Rune for help was futile; as part of the Magia Apex, a neutral organization in respect to national politics, the Guild of Rune could not be relied upon to fight their battle. Wigglewump argued that since the undead army did not fly the flag of any nation, it presented itself as a different sort of threat: one not akin to the army of an enemy nation. This sort of enemy should be "free game" for the Guild of Rune/Magia Apex. *Sliboforp then added that allowing Han (dragonrider) and Ruru (dragon) to fight would threaten the forest itself. He had the others recall who had defiled the Grand Tree just a decade earlier. While the attacker was not Han, the connotation stood. Before the point could be further debated, Malakar was spotted within gnomish lands, calling upon undead minions from nowhere. Han and Ruru were immediately given permission to engage the enemy as the meeting subsided and its members escaped. The current gnomish army (not including troops in the southern part of the Gnome Empire) consists of a wide array of units: *'Gnome Archers' The bulk of the army, consisting of 10,000 gnomes, are trained in the art of archery. Able to fire accurately under the cover of trees, they are deadly in the forest, especially with a grounded enemy. Difficult to reach for meleeists and difficult to shoot for archers, they can keep up an assault until their arrow supply runs dry. They are lightly armored to give themselves the ease of movement necessary to scale the trees. 1,000 have been committed to keeping Malakar's Army at bay. *'Gnome Halberdiers' Given their short reach, gnomes prefer to use melee weaponry that allows them a long reach. However, they also carry swords as a secondary weapon, though they do not prove to be very useful against larger enemies with a longer reach. There are nearly 3,000 such soldiers in the army that are halberdiers. While they do not have the same physical force available to them as other races, they are valuable for harassing and luring enemies astray. Given the current situation, no halberdiers have been included in slowing Malakar's Army. Instead, they await with the rest of the army at Ent Grove. *'Terroriders '''These gnomes are trained to ride terrorbirds into battle. They are quick and can cover long distances at a time, easily outmaneuvering enemies, especially in the forests. They are trained to use both a bow and a halberd and can strike while riding their mounts. With 2,000 of these units, the gnomish army becomes a formidable opponent. 300 terroriders have been comitted to fighting Malakar's invading force. *'Tortoise Teams 'Riding on enormous tortoises, these gnomes are trained to fight using the entire combat triangle. There are 500 of these units in the gnomish army, with three gnomes per team, meaning an actual count of 1,500 soldiers to this division. Tortoise Teams are slow-moving, but are the most difficult to defeat by brute force. With two soldiers with a wide range of attack (an archer and a mage) and a powerful meleeist guiding the tortoise, these units can mow through weaker forces and hold their own against stronger enemies. Currently, 50 of these tortoise teams are aiding the small army that is keeping Malakar's Army from charging through gnomish territory. *'Gnomecopters 'A recently rediscovered technology, gnomecopters have not yet been produced in large quantities. However, they are still available for use, with 500 gnomecopters available. Slower than the gnome gliders, these soldiers are able to hover, giving them better accuracy when dropping upon enemies. Also, they may remain in the air much longer than a glider does, and does not need as much work to pilot. There are 150 gnomecopters dropping large logs, rocks, and explosives (technology acquired from the dwarves) onto the undead invaders. *'Gliders '''Gnome glider pilots have been incredibly important to the gnomish military. These gliders give them an air advantage over all other armies, which lack the ability to fly. Gliders can cover distances faster than any other unit, while staying far out of the reach of the enemy. They make up the rest of the gnomish army with 3,000 gliders available for flight. 400 of these gliders assist in the repelling of Malakar and his army, dropping logs, rocks, and explosives onto them. Malakar's Army Malakar’s forces number in the ten thousands, at best, and though some are weak, like skeletal warriors, others are very strong and versatile. As well as the undead legions that have been raised, living things – brought by visions of power and glory – fight alongside. Humans were some of the most easily seduced by the visions, but others have fallen, as well. Leading the forces is Malakar, a powerful lych that has powerful physical and magical attributes. He is skilled at necromancy and a master in the arcane arts and uses the Body mark to his full advantage. Though he does not participate in the fighting himself, he aids his forces and makes enhanced boneseeds, used to summon warriors to fight alongside the troops. Another general that leads the army is that of Uundwirn, an undead half-gnome who serves Malakar. He is clever and a brilliant strategist who uses the forces like one would play chess. Though it may seem somewhat ironic for him to be leading the attack against the Gnome Stronghold, he doesn’t seem to notice and his attention focused on wiping out the gnomish population in the area. He mostly uses magic, especially earth, but also carries an axe on his back – another symbol of his turn to destruction. The forces are spread evenly across the battle-types, with fighters and archers making up the bulk. They are mostly animated dead and use force to destroy. They cannot think for themselves and if their magically reinforced steel armor is breached, they can be beaten back and destroy rather easily. The archers, despite not having eyes, are pretty good shots and generally hit their mark. They have been equipped with magically enhanced bows and arrows that use elemental damage when they strike a target. When their equipment is used up, they shall join the legions of melee fighters. The mages have a thought of their own, showing that they are not the animated dead but have given in to lychdom. They are the rest of the force and have each made bonds with the warriors/archers, up to around thirty. This bond allows the mage to keep control of the skeletal pack it controls. These mages are extremely hard to kill and will generally used master spells of magic to rain destruction down on foes – one downside is that the bond will keep their awareness low and they are a capable match to any fighter who can get past the warriors. When one is killed, the bond between the skeletal troops is severed and the undead will return to the grave. Each mage is equipped with some boneseeds, though not the enhanced kind Malakar uses. The living part of Malakar’s force is split up between these small factions, but they have a mind of their own and will use whatever means to take down their opponent. Their downside is that they are weak and can be defeated quite easily. Along with the forces, a few siege engines have come into play. Catapults make up the bulk of them, and when combined with the mages’ magical potency, they become quite a force to be reckoned with. Other types of weapons are ballistae, which hurl tree-sized ‘bolts’ at enemies and can be quite devastating if used correctly. As these were slow to move, they were around the back of the force as the first attack commenced. Now, though, they are being put into position.